Sermon and Worship Resources

Synonyms: touch, feel, sense of touch, tactile sense, tactility, contact, using one's hands, sensation, sense, suspicion, sneaking suspicion, notion, inkling, hunch, fancy, apprehension, presentiment, premonition, foreboding, love, care, affection, fondness, tenderness, warmth, warmness, emotion, sentiment, emotional state, compassion, sympathy, empathy, fellow feeling, understanding, concern, solicitude, solicitousness, tender-heartedness, brotherly love, sensibilities, sensitivities, self-esteem, ego, pride, opinion, belief, view, impression, intuition, instinct, estimation, guess, theory, hypothesis, thought, way of thinking, point of view, atmosphere, ambience, aura, air, mood, climate, character, overtone, undertone, tenor, spirit, quality, flavour, colour, aptitude, knack, flair, bent, talent, gift, skill, art, trick, faculty, ability, propensity, inclination, sensitive, warm, warm-hearted, tender, tender-hearted, caring, soft-hearted, sympathetic, compassionate, empathetic, responsive, receptive, intuitive, thoughtful

Antonyms: bad feeling, acrimony, animosity, animus, antagonism, antipathy, aversion, bitterness, detestation, disgust, dislike, disrelish, enmity, friction, grievances, grudges, hatred, hostility, loathing, malevolence, malice

Showing 3901 to 3925 of 5000 results

3901. The Forgiveness Factor

Mark 2:1-12

Sermon

David E. Leininger

This is probably one of the best-known vignettes in all of scripture, this wonderfully appealing story about friends who are so anxious to get one of their number who needs healing to Jesus that they will go to incredible lengths to make it happen. Hence, we have history's first recorded elevator ride. By way of background, Mark's gospel lets us know that there have already been a number of healings and exorcisms in Jesus' ministry — the man in the Capernaum synagogue with the unclean spirit, Peter's ...

3902. The Inconcealable Christ!

Mark 7:31-37, Mark 7:24-30

Sermon

Robert Leslie Holmes

In this amazing passage of two miracles, we find just one message. The first miracle is the healing of the daughter of a Greek woman, born in Syrian Phoenicia. In many ways, it is among the most significant of Jesus' miracles not just because the child received healing. Syrophoenicia is not a candidate region for the zip code 90210. The "pretty people" do not take up residence there. In fact, they do all they can to avoid going that way. It is a remote place sustained by commercial fishing and, if we can ...

3903. I Love You, Too

1 John 4:7-21

Sermon

Nancy Kraft

When someone says, "I love you," the natural reply is, "I love you, too." If you're in a loving relationship with someone, you expect those words in response. Our passage from 1 John today tells us that this is the kind of relationship God has with us. It's not just about saying the words, though. We heard John telling us last week: "Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action" (1 John 3:18). This week he says it like this: "We love because God first loved us" (1 John 4:19 ...

3904. Don't Mess with the IRS

Matthew 22:15-22

Sermon

King Duncan

It is a familiar saying, even to non-believers particularly in the King James translation: “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” There are only two things which are inevitable goes the old expression, death and taxes. At least death doesn’t increase, someone has opined, every time Congress meets. The Eiffel Tower, someone else has said, is the Empire State Building after taxes. Have you ever noticed that when you combine the two words, “THE” ...

3905. Christmas Is a God-Thing

Luke 1:26-38

Sermon

King Duncan

There was a story years ago in the Canadian version of the Reader’s Digest of a large moose that wandered into a residential area in Calgary, Canada. The moose ended up on the lawn of a lady named Lorna Cade. A Fish and Wildlife officer was dispatched to try to coax the magnificent animal back into the wild. After two hours of absolutely no progress, the officer finally shot the moose with a tranquilizer dart. The moose bolted down a lane and eventually collapsed on another nearby lawn. The reporters who ...

3906. Toss Your Cap Over the Wall

Mark 3:20-30

Sermon

King Duncan

Even though this is baseball season, I want to begin with a basketball story. It is about Michael Jordan, perhaps the greatest professional basketball player of all time. One night he scored sixty-nine points in a single game. In that same game, rookie Stacey King made his inauspicious debut. He shot one free throw and made it. After the final buzzer, a reporter asked King for his thoughts on the game. Stacey King, with tongue planted firmly in his cheek, replied: “I’ll always remember this as the night ...

3907. Ambassadors of The Lord

Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon

Richard Gribble

There is an ancient Christian story that speaks of a fourth wise man, Artaban, in his pursuit of the king of the Jews. As he journeyed with his friends, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, he became separated from them. He never made it to Bethlehem. For many years he sought the Christ Child and in the process had many adventures and assisted many people, including dying beggars and frightened mothers, to whom he gave two of the three great jewels he had originally planned to give to Jesus. He even traveled ...

3908. When We're Estranged from God

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Sermon

King Duncan

It’s an old story, but it bears repeating. An armed robber accosted a French priest on a dark, back street in Paris and demanded his wallet. As the priest opened his coat to reach for his wallet, the thief caught sight of his clerical collar, and immediately apologized. “Never mind, Father, I didn’t realize you were a priest. I’ll be on my way.” The priest was relieved, of course, and good-naturedly offered the man a cigar. “No, thank you, Father,” the robber said, “I gave up smoking for Lent.” (1) One of ...

3909. A Matter of Trust

Galatians 1:11-24

Sermon

King Duncan

One of the questions that is becoming more a matter of concern all the time is this one who can I trust? We live in a strange world. Did you know that you can now buy trust in a bottle? All of you aspiring politicians listen up . . . all you guys who want to win over a member of the fairer sex . . . all of you who have a questionable product to sell to an unsuspecting public. A New York City lab claims to have put trust in a bottle. According to their ads, “After showering in the morning simply spray a ...

3910. Are You in Labor?

Luke 10:1-24

Sermon

King Duncan

A woman goes to her doctor. The doctor verifies that she is pregnant. This is her first pregnancy. The doctor asks her if she has any questions. She replies, “Well, I’m a little worried about the pain. How much will childbirth hurt?” The doctor thinks for a moment then says, “Well, that varies from woman to woman and pregnancy to pregnancy and besides, it’s difficult to describe pain.” “I know, but can’t you give me some idea?” she asks. “Well, he said, “Grab your upper lip and pull it out a little . . .” ...

3911. Lift High the Cross

1 Corinthians 1:18--2:5

Sermon

Timothy J. Smith

There might be times in our lives when we are confused and unsure about what direction to go next. We live in the information age with readily available knowledge literally at our finger tips. There has been more information generated in the last thirty years than during the past 5,000. Having an abundance of information available does not always solve our problems. We are told that to improve our health we should try different foods, new drugs, or vitamin supplements, only to discover a couple of years ...

3912. Powerless People

Judges 4:1-24

Sermon

Argile Smith

Some time ago, someone in Fred’s congregation asked him to read a book by a fellow named Tex Sample. As pastor of the church, Fred always appreciated the opportunity to read books recommended by his congregants. His long years of ministry had taught him that in almost every book he could find at least one good idea. Sometimes the idea would find its way into one of his sermons. At other times, the idea would be tucked away for further examination, or it would be presented over coffee to engage the people ...

3913. Ignite: Man on Fire

Acts 9:1-19a

Sermon

James Merritt

You hear a lot of people say a lot of times, “Nothing surprises me anymore!” Just about the time I believe nothing surprises me anymore, something surprises me. In fact, it didn’t just surprise me, but frankly shocked, amazed, and astounded me. There is a website called, “Top-10-list.org” I went to it to see what they said would be the top ten most important events in history. As I put these up on the screen you might want to in your mind jot down as many as you can think of. I want you listen to not only ...

3914. Paul's Ministry in Thessalonica

1 Thessalonians 2:1-16

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

In the thanksgiving, Paul incidentally touched on their ministry in Thessalonica, but he now speaks of that ministry more directly, defending his own and his colleagues’ conduct against Jewish slanders. The matters touched on include: (1) the circumstances of their coming to Thessalonica and their motives in being there (2:1–6); (2) their conduct towards the Thessalonians (2:7–12); and (3) the response of the Thessalonians to their message and the ensuing hardship caused by that response (2:13–16). Because ...

3915. The Vision of the Great Prostitute

Revelation 17:1-18

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

Big Idea: John is astonished when he receives the vision of Babylon the Great, the mother of the prostitutes, in all her power, opulence, and adulterous depravity. Understanding the Text At the conclusion of the bowl judgments, Babylon the Great is split into three parts and is made to drink the full cup of God’s wrath (16:19). Now one of the seven angels from chapter 16 invites John to witness in greater detail the judgment God will bring on the harlot. As a result, the judgment of Babylon the Great in 17 ...

3916. Job Considers a Legal Dispute with God

Job 9:1–10:22

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

Big Idea: Job wants God to declare him righteous, but he cannot envision how to bring this about. Understanding the Text In chapters 9 and 10, Job takes up the challenge made by Bildad in 8:5 to plead with the Almighty. As he contemplates this possibility, Job focuses on his legal status before God. In this speech he begins to work out in his mind how he might approach God with his situation, and how God might respond to him. In his soliloquy in chapter 9, Job turns over in his mind whether he should enter ...

3917. The Writing on the Wall

Daniel 5:1-31

Understanding Series

William Nelson

We have seen evidence that the earlier chapters were independent traditions. For example, in chapter 1 the four Jews proved to be wiser than all the other sages, yet they are not asked to interpret the dream in chapter 2; Daniel is prominent in chapter 2 but missing from chapter 3. The author does not do a lot to provide smooth transitions between the different episodes, but there is some continuity in that the first four chapters feature King Nebuchadnezzar. The chasm between chapers 4 and 5 is greater ...

3918. Free Indeed!

John 8:31-36

Sermon

April Yamasaki

"War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength." In George Orwell's novel, 1984, these slogans are used to control the thoughts of the people. While their country was at war, the people were deceived into thinking it was peace. While they were kept subservient, they thought they were free. While they remained ignorant of what was really going on in the world around them, they thought they were strong. Does this sound odd, or perhaps oddly familiar? Today's scripture seems to bear witness to a ...

3919. A Man Under Authority / A Centurion's Faith, An Elder's Love

Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-10

Sermon

Lori Wagner

“Let it be done for you according to your faith.” Props: Centurion helmet or any military helmet and stick Hope pulls you forward. Faith pushes you forward. Love keeps you moving forward. A story recently made the news whereby a visitor from Israel to the US had a serious heart condition, and needed a heart transplant immediately or he would die. He was older than the recommended age for surgery, and had multiple other medical conditions that made any surgery problematic. Only two specialists in the world ...

3920. Dorcas, Dinah, or Delilah (Who are You?)

Genesis 34:1-31, Judges 16:1-22, Acts 9:32-43

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Names are fun. We all like to play with names. We get excited about naming our babies. We give each other nicknames. We call each other names –sometimes for fun, sometimes not in the best spirit! We give our children ancestral names, biblical names, and sometimes, off-the-wall names! We name our animals according to what they look like, or what they mean to us. Names are identity markers. They reveal something about how we see the world around us and the people in it. They reveal something about our ...

3921. Let 'Er Rip

Mark 13:1-31, Mark 13:32-37, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Sermon

Lori Wagner

Wake up, world! The world is waking up. The world needs to wake up. We’ve been asleep for a good long time, and the time has come for the Rip Van Winkles of the world to wake up to the signs of God around them. God is working in our midst. Can you see the signs? The watcher in the tower is the prophet. And you are all watch people. You are all prophets of the Lord! There is not just a priesthood of all believers. There is a prophethood of all believers. The call is coming in! Sound the message to everyone ...

3922. Excuse Me!

Exodus 3:1-22

Sermon

Carl Jech

The Shadows: Low Self-Esteem Introduction One of the most popular programs in the history of old time radio was The Shadow. "The Shadow" was the alias used by fictional crime-fighter Lamont Cranston. A creaking door introduced each show, followed by the sinister and now-famous words: "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" then came a sinister laugh. (The preacher might risk an imitation.) Have you noticed that the Bible does not seek to cover up the darker side of even its ...

3923. No Partiality

Acts 10:34-43

Sermon

Will Willimon

When I first read it, it seemed an odd text for Easter: "And Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation any one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the word which he sent...the word which was proclaimed throughout all Judea...how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing...They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third ...

3924. Little Start, Big Finish

Mark 4:26-34

Sermon

Dean Feldmeyer

The kingdom of God is a pretty big deal in the Bible. In the New Testament alone it is mentioned 72 times. In the gospels, it’s the subject Jesus talks about more than any other. (The second-place winner is money.) And yet, despite the fact that Jesus talks about it a great deal, we Christians tend to be rather unclear about what exactly is meant by this four word phrase: The kingdom of God. There are a number of reasons for our lack of clarity. The most obvious is that we don’t understand the concept of “ ...

3925. Beware! Angels

Matthew 1:18-25

Sermon

Will Willimon

''Angels are big this Christmas," said the florist as he placed yet another cherub on the tree. An outburst of bestselling books testify to our current infatuation with angels. Why does the whole world seem so interested in angels, and at this time in human history? The word ''angel'' means, in the Greek, ''messenger." Angels are messengers of God. That's why artists portrayed them with wings. Angels, messengers from God. But in one Mercedes Benz TV commercial, angels are depicted as cute, hermaphroditic ...

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